Introduction
Mental health disorders are characterized by disturbances in the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of an individual. Exercise does improve mental health by reducing depression, anxiety, and negative mood. This also improves an individual’s self-esteem and cognitive function (thinking).
Why Exercise Is Important in Mental Health Disorders?
In recent eras, there has been an increase in the rate of occurrence of metabolic syndrome and obesity. Lifestyle modifications are very important in fighting against these diseases and mental health disorders. Individuals affected by mental health disorders are at a high risk of chronic diseases due to sedentary behavior and the side effects of medication. One of the important components of lifestyle is exercise.
The importance of exercise is not known by either patients or mental health professionals. Researchers have found that exercise is a neglected aspect of mental health care.
Exercise is not only meant for aerobic capacity and muscle size, but it helps improve physical health and physique, reducing the waistline, improvement in sex life, and adding years to life. Exercise also provides a sense of well-being. Individuals who exercise regularly find that they feel energetic throughout the day, have a better sleep at night, have sharper memories, and feel relaxed and positive about themselves. It has been hence found that exercise is a powerful medicine for mental health conditions.
How Does Exercise Benefit Mental Health Disorders?
Exercise benefits various mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, etc.
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Exercise and Depression: Studies have found that exercise can treat depression as effectively as antidepressant medications. The added advantage is without side effects. It reduces symptoms of depression that include feelings of helplessness, loss of interest in daily activity, changes in weight and sleep, etc. Along with this benefit, maintaining a regular exercise schedule also help in preventing relapse of this condition.
Exercise promotes various changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and activities that induce a sense of calm and overall well-being. It also helps in the release of endorphins that are responsible for energizing the spirit and feeling of goodness. It acts as a distraction or a break from the vicious cycle of negative thoughts by drawing quality time.
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Exercise and Anxiety: Exercise is a natural and effective treatment for anxiety-related disorders. By the release of endorphins, exercise reduces tension and stress and improves physical and mental energy, thereby enhancing the well-being of an individual. Making a mindset to focus on exercise while doing improves the physical condition of the body and interrupts the flow of thoughts responsible for worries.
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Exercise and Stress: During stress, an individual experiences tension in the muscles of the face, neck, and shoulders that lead to pain in the back and neck and painful headaches. Tightness in the chest, increased pulse, and muscle cramps may also be noted. Severe other symptoms like sleeplessness, heartburn, stomachache, diarrhea, and frequent urination are also observed during stress.
These form a vicious cycle between the mind and body. Exercising regularly helps in breaking the link of a vicious cycle. The brain releases endorphins. Physical activity through exercise helps in relaxing the muscles and helps relieve the tension in the body. As there is a link between the body and mind, when the body feels relaxed through exercises, the mind also gets relaxed.
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Exercise and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder): Exercise helps reduce the symptoms of ADHD. It reduces the symptoms easily and effectively as the medications do. It improves concentration which is a deficit in this condition. It also improves memory, mood, and motivation. Doing exercise regularly increases the release of chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin from the brain, and these affect focus and concentration.
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Exercise and PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) and Trauma: Exercise help come out of the immobilization of stress, which is a characteristic of PTSD and trauma, by helping the nervous system to work. Focusing on the movements of the body instead of leaving the mind to wander helps in getting attention. Outdoor activities like hiking, sailing, rock climbing, etc.
What Are the Health Benefits of Exercise Other Than Mental Health Conditions?
Regular exercise help in boosting mood, outlook, and mental well-being.
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Increases Sharper Memory and Thinking: Release of endorphins from the brain helps feel better, improvement in concentration, and helps in keeping the sharpness of memory. It also helps in the growth of brain cells and prevents age-related changes in brain cells.
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Increases Self-esteem: Regular activity keeps the mind, body, and soul. When it becomes a habit, it increases self-worth and makes the individual strong and powerful.
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Increases the Quality of Sleep: Regular exercising influences the sleep pattern and helps in getting quality sleep that leads to the mental well-being of an individual.
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Increases Energy: During exercise, the increased heart rate helps with increased energy and keeps the person going throughout the day.
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Increases Resilience: When an individual faces difficult situations, exercise helps increase resilience means it gives the energy to bounce back and face the situation healthily. It also helps with the improvement of the immune system of the body and reduces the effects of stress.
Once aware of the benefits of exercise, it is wise to start with regular exercise. To help with sticking to the decision to exercise regularly or to make up the mind to start exercising, one can:
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Start with small goals to achieve and then plan for higher goals to achieve.
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Start scheduling the time of exercise when they are have high energy in a day.
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Should focus on activities that they like.
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Choose a setting and clothing for exercise that is comfortable.
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Reward themselves after accomplishing the activity. This may encourage them to continue.
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Exercising with others like friends and family may help in enjoying the activity. It is found that companionship helps during mood disorders as exercise does.
Conclusion
Exercising improves physical as well as mental health by releasing chemicals from the brain. Hence it becomes important to know the role of exercise in mental health disorders, how it works, its benefits, etc. Knowing helps to start taking the benefits of exercise and improve overall health and quality of life.
